The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films have released the first trailer for this summer's horror film Polaroid. Horror films now more than ever are a dime a dozen, as film distributors and producers churn them out with low-budgets to make a half-decent profit. Usually, these films are based around a singular hook or concept stretched out into a feature length film.

The hook of recently release 47 Meters Down was the terror of an underwater shark attack, the upcoming Wish Upon features a possessed, Hellraiser-esque box, and Annabelle: Creation continues the story of the possessed doll from The Conjuring. The hook of Polaroid is right in the title, as seen in the first-look trailer for the film.

Polaroid is similar to recent hits like Lights Out and Oculus in that it's originally based on the 2015 short film by the director of the feature-length version, Lars Klevberg. The typical five or six teenagers from plenty of other horror films stumble upon an old, vintage Polaroid camera. This is no ordinary Polaroid, however, as when you take the picture and shake it out, it marks everyone in it for a grisly death. One by one, the teens start to bite the dust as they try and stop what's coming for them before it's too late.

Polaroid Movie Poster

The film looks similar in tone to the original Ouija film, but that would be implying that the film resembles something specific and not an amalgamation of the horror genre in general. The trailer goes through the typical horror movie motions, packed with jump scares, ominous dialogue about the camera's treacherous backstory, and creepy music intercut with images of terror from the film. It'll take more of a convincing look to sell audiences on Polaroid being anything out of the ordinary for the genre. It's also not clear if the film will be PG-13 or R based on this look, but it would be wise to expect the former.

Polaroid stars a cast of relative unknowns, including Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch, 24: Legacy and Skins' Kathryn Prescott, and American Idol contestant Katie Stevens. Actor Javier Botet, who has made a name for himself by playing supernatural threats like the titular Mama from that 2013 horror film or The Crooked Man from The Conjuring 2 (who is getting his own spinoff), will most likely be playing the evil antagonist here as well. The big hook in the marketing is that this is being produced by the individuals who produced The Ring and The Grudge series in the early to mid 2000s, but haven't produced a horror film since The Ruins in 2008 (not counting this year's Rings).

Polaroid helps close out the summer when it flashes into theaters on August 25th against John Travolta gangster film The Life and Death of John Gotti and faith-based film All Saints. 

Next: Annabelle: Creation Trailer 2

Source: The Weinstein Company